The toothpick candies received unanimous praise from Zhu Zhu and Liu Da, and even Liu's mother and Zhao's mother ate several.

The fact that his brother and sister-in-law were out of danger made Cao Ming willingly run errands for Yuan Zhuan. Cao Ming and Zhao Yuxiang got the business licenses sorted out in two days.

"Mingzi, take some of this candy home with you. Your brother and sister-in-law have children, don't they?" Aunt Zhao wrapped up a paper packet of toothpick candy and handed it to Cao Ming, who was tidying up in the warehouse. She had relied on this child for help with many things these past few days. If her daughter weren't only eight years old, she might have overthought things. Although she knew Yuan Zhuan's abilities, Cao Ming was, after all, the landlord, and she was genuinely grateful that he was willing to help so much.

"Okay, thank you, sis." Cao Ming's eyes crinkled with a smile as he looked at the red and brown toothpick candies inside.

He didn't see the sugar-making process, but he knew that Yuan Zhuan, this big shot, had three sugar-making machines, and these toothpick candies were made from them. They tasted much better than those on the market, with a very rich fruit flavor. He bought all the ingredients, so he knew very well that there were no miscellaneous ingredients in them. He felt safe eating these natural candies, and even he, who didn't like sweets, would occasionally eat a few pieces.

The opening day was a special auspicious day chosen by Yuan Zhuan; the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was just right.

Setting off firecrackers marked the start of the business. Several suppliers sent flower baskets, which Cao Ming received. In return, he gave them some small candy gifts, each with a different design, all in animal shapes that children love. After all, what family doesn't have a few children?

To be friendly to her neighbors, Zhao Ma gave a small bag of fruit candy to all the shops in the vicinity. In those days, candy was still considered a good thing, and children especially loved it.

The candies, priced at five cents each, sold very well thanks to Liu Da's relentless sales pitch. The little guy was working hard for the one hundred fruit candies Yuan Zhuan had promised him as payment, and he was quite eloquent. All the other kids around him came over to support him, some giving one cent, others two cents. Little by little, more than five hundred candies were snapped up in one morning. The more expensive animal-shaped candies, priced at a few cents each, also sold a few dozen. Zhao Yuxiang looked at the money in the drawer and smiled from ear to ear.

The shop currently sells ordinary daily necessities such as rice, flour, oil, paper towels, and sanitary napkins. There are quite a few adults who bring their children. After all, it is a new shop with a complete range of products. Moreover, on its first day of opening, all goods except candy are offered at a 5% discount, so the purchasing power of adults has been captured. Yuan Zhuan and Zhao Yuxiang are busy to the point of being dizzy, and Liu Ma has also joined in. Cao Ming is even more busy, so busy that he doesn't even have time to eat.

The Chinese people's love of joining in the fun has always been consistent. People and children kept coming and going in the shop until dusk, when the flow began to decrease. Only then did Zhao Yuxiang get out to go back and cook, while the others continued to work.

Zhang Feng received the list and was about to go back to his room for dinner when he stood up. "Brother Zhang, wait a moment," Zhu Xiao said. The other leaders exchanged glances, their thoughts already in agreement, which was also a test of Zhang Feng's abilities.

"Is there anything else?" Zhang Feng stopped, raised an eyebrow, and asked indifferently.

"Brother Zhang, look, is there anything we can exchange for some? We haven't had a proper meal in ages." Zhu Xiao smiled sheepishly. Even though he was thick-skinned, he knew that it was a bit shameless of him to beg for food at this point.

However, the face is not as important as the belly.

"Exchange it with gold. One tael of gold equals one pound of rice, an equivalent exchange."

"gold?"

"50 grams of gold per kilogram of rice, isn't that price a bit too high?"

"Would an ounce of gold be enough for you to survive?"